Where do you start? What will be our 17? Can we dig deep for one more game? We look a beat up tired team but have the extra few days rest. Sheens quoted as only 16 fit players as it stands.Factor in the other 3 games are televised and all played before our game on Sunday we seem to have an advantage there? It's unbelievable all 4 games aren't at same time but that's RL for you? Reading the Widnes forum their fans are fuming over the team carousing in Toronto after relegation confirmed and they may end up sending a very young side over for our game? What will Leeds put out v Toronto. Salford play a very desperate French side and London could well put a big score on Fax? Not out of question for all 3 Championship sides to win but it's the Leeds game that really matters for us. All three outcomes of Safety MPG or straight Relegation are on the table but both teams 19s on Thursday will tell us a bit more?Then watch the other 3 games and see where we stand come Saturday evening. Nervous times that really should have been avoided

The fact that you are playing Widnes makes it very difficult to predict. If you were against a Toronto or Salford or Toulouse you know its going to a be a no holds barred scrap and may the best team win. But against an already relegated Widnes, who knows. They might turn up simply not caring anymore and you might win by 50. On the other hand they might be desperate to end their SL spell on a good note, and with no pressure to win they might put in their performance of the year. I'm just glad we arent involved and I can watch with my feet up as an interested neutral(ish).

Knowing that defeat could see you relegated automatically, would you settle for a home MPG if it was offered now?

To be honest, just like 2016, we're facing our MPG a week early although this time its not so clear cut.

No, I don’t think the odds quite justify it - but I see where you’re coming from. I’m not sure i’d even take it if you guaranteed home advantage. Actually, the way we’re feeling now, as fans, swinging between despondency and frayed nerves, it might not even be an advantage if that were transmitted to the pitch.

It’ll be a relief when it’s over. These last few years of banging on about how 5 wins isn’t necessarily enough to avoid the MPG and that a team could be 6th on 8 points, and now we’re staring down those very barrels. Sickening.

2016, while you could see it coming with increasing inevitability as the season wore on, I think there was a sense of angry determination when it happened, and that helped us bounce back.

This time it feels undeserved - we haven’t stumbled along making one mistake after another, but I fear it’ll be more weary resignation if we go down. Conversely, if we stay up, I think we might be reinvigorated.

Anyhow - next year might be poop, but at very least it’ll be different poop!

Wait, didn't the club decide for more 'quantity' over 'quality' in terms of squad depth but can only muster up 16 fit players. Suspicious if you ask me

In what way suspicious?

That depth is only reason we’ve got a flickering one.

I won't pretend that I don't enjoy seeing you struggle, but it would be a real injustice if you do go down. As you say, you haven't really done alot wrong this year. This system is exciting, but I wouldnt wish being in it on my worst enemy.

Fwiw if I was to predict what will happen I think you will end up at home against London in the MPG (I think you will beat Widnes but Toronto will turn Leeds over), but you will have too much for them and will survive.

When the antipathy turns to pity, that’s when we know we’re in real trouble.



That seems one of the more plausible scenarios.

My predictions for the first three games are:

Salford to beat Toulouse - we’d then be guaranteed MPG at worst.
Toronto Wolfpack to win by just enough against Leeds to put them tantalisingly out of our reach on points difference. That’s the prediction i’m least confident of, but certainly the most important result apart from our own. It’d mean 3rd was probably beyond us, if i’m right.
London to win reasonably comfortably against Halifax, by enough to move ahead of us on points difference before our game.

Our result would then just determine whether we or London hosted the MPG, with the winner determined cortisone and luck.

Can’t understand why everyone thinks they Toronto will beat Leeds Leeds aren’t totally safe it’s there last home game they’ll have a full team out and Toronto are average Salford will win Toulouse have lost all there away games think the London Fax game will be closer than people think as for us we’ll either win by 50 or get beat who knows which Rovers team will turn up

the reason we are in this precarious position is the same old problem we have had for years .. poor defence it has never really been addressed and tarnishes the good attacking play we sometimes show,there seems to be no middle ground,, we score enough points to win more than we lose but goaline defence is particularly bad, we are capable of winning any game ,but on the otherhand......hence who knows where we will be playing next year

Think Leeds will do enough to win probably by more than 2 scores so any kind of win for us should do it.Widnes attitude is hard to second guess but it shouldn't matter.We are at home we are now desperate and nobody wants to be in that MPG.One last big effort and dare I say get ahead early and they will fold.Dont let up for the full 80 and put a Warringtonesque 80 points on them.Job done .All is forgiven and clear out the old and bring in some real backbone. Sounds simple

Listening to Kevin Sinfield on BBC Podcast, he's certainly not taking Toronto lightly and their Academy Side are in a grand final so won't be tempted to play youngsters in the game either. I'm hoping they put in a right shift to see their home fans off for the season.
Now, Rovers under pressure is a completely different prospect. We don't do pressure. We seem to be hearing noises that Widnes could be putting a young side out, that might be wishful thinking. Looking at it cynically they wouldn't want another Super League club coming down into the Championship making their job harder at automatic promotion next year.
Either way we need to handle pressure better for 80 minutes. Hoping the lack of concentration and professionalism against Halifax doesn't cost us points difference wise.

Widnes are relegated and will certainly hope that no one else is, so that they get the parachute payment to themselves.

They will want Rovers & Toronto in Super League then they will be easily be the best funded club in the championship which they need to be with the change to 1 up 1 down....which Widnes voted for a few days ago.

Rovers will secure safety on Sunday.

Let’s hope you are right and they give the fans some relief

My current thinking (which subject to rapid and dramatic change) is that in anything you do, if you do your best you shouldn’t have regrets.

Since being relegated, I feel that we’ve pretty much done the best we could as a club. As long as we give our all, for as long as there’s hope, i’m at peace with it.

Agreed. All you can do is hope the team play to the best of their ability on the day. Whatever happens then can't be helped.

The annoying times are when they visibly don't (or don't appear to) such as at Toulouse.

Sheens has made so many bad decisions its unreal,atkins has been one of our best players this season,how about this for an idea play him in his best positon scrum half,ever considered that!
Injuries have not helped but the icing on the cake is he signed todd carney,33 way past his best,not fit and they are his good points.Moss has been out on loan all season,his only crime scoring a hat trick in a derby match,scoring again in the match v wakey after coming on with 15 mins leftand the top metre make in the match he got dropped when cas hammered us.

Leeds 19 for their game against Toronto: https://www.therhinos.co.uk/2018/09/26/ ... is-friday/ Pretty much their strongest available, I think.

Leeds 19 for their game against Toronto: https://www.therhinos.co.uk/2018/09/26/ ... is-friday/ Pretty much their strongest available, I think.

Thats a good side and would expect it to win well,but after last weeks results you never know.

The way our injuries seem to be stacking up again we really do need Leeds to beat Toronto, because I think if Toronto win we could struggle to overtake any potential points difference. Hope I,m wrong but since Quinlan has been missing we have lost some real spark. The others have got to get their heads right and really go for it. It would be a big help if they would stop giving possession away. They are capable, but now is the time.

You’ve got to let the Moss thing go he obviously didn’t fancy him it’s Dagger we shouldn’t have let go out on loan but it’s easy in hindsight on Moss he was steady if not spectacular I expected more to be honest last season the way the Bradford fans raved about him

Hindsight is wonderful. However at the start of the season he was never going to play FB because of Quinlan. Both wing spots taken by Carney and Shaw. A year on loan to get Moss match time was right. He might be quick but FB needs a more strategic brain and wings need to be built like forwards really these days.

On topic, Mulhearn will be a massive loss in the Widnes game. Lunt has been off his game since he came back from injury a couple if months ago but I'd rather have his leadership on the field. Same with Tomkins who has played well since he joined.

I'm still undecided about T Carney. He IS or WAS a talented player but it just isn't happening at the moment and may never happen now.

Agree about Lunt who’d have thought bringing Lee off and putting Lunt on would have had the negative effect on the game as it did on Saturday but saying that I do hope he’s fit Mulhearn more so though

Hudgell giving the rallying call in HDM combined with a bollicking. Good,they need deserve it. This is a little like the Huddersfield game before MPG 2016. No time for shrinking violets so let's see if any lessons learnt? Hudgell for me has got it spot on and for all he's the Gaffer is in tune with the Stands. Next 3 games we watch and Sunday it's time to do the business

We really couldn't have hand picked better opponents than Widnes for the final game.

If we were playing Leeds, Salford or even London or Toulouse at home this weekend I would be very concerned because Rovers are having to dig really deep and the resolve isn't what it could be.

Widnes though are only going to put up token resistance. We will beat them by whatever score we need to.

You only get the parachute payment once and they need to have the best chance they can of an immediate return. They will not want to share the parachute payment with us and they will not want to have us competing with them for the only promotion spot.

However patched up and busted Rovers are they will be safe on Sunday. IMO.